I returned home alone.
The sunset was slowly swallowing the colors of the sky, but my head was far more crowded than it should've been. I took off my shoes at the door, entered quietly, ate something small without any real appetite, then went straight to my room.
I closed the door and lay on my back on the bed.
I stared at the ceiling.
What happened at school wouldn't leave my mind.
I didn't understand it.
Kenji… why?
I replayed the scene over and over: the way he spoke to her, his confident laugh, how he handed her his phone without hesitation, and how she accepted it with slight embarrassment.
It wasn't a casual conversation.
It was intentional.
Did he actually want her?
Or was he trying to prove something?
Or… had he been jealous of me all along?
I let out a slow breath.
"We were never real friends to begin with…"
I whispered it, as if testing whether it was true.
Old moments resurfaced—his jokes disguised as mockery, his comments whenever I succeeded, the way he downplayed my efforts. Things I had ignored for far too long.
I closed my eyes.
The black belt.
The exam.
The success.
Everything was moving forward…
So why did it feel like something was dragging me backward?
-------------
The next morning, I woke up early as usual.
Fifteen push-ups.
No more, no less.
My body knew the routine.
My mind was calmer than the day before.
At breakfast, I drifted off for a moment.
My mother noticed.
"You're quieter than usual today."
I looked up.
"Just thinking… nothing important."
She gave me a brief, suspicious look, then let it go.
--------------
At school, everything seemed normal… on the surface.
Laughter in the hallways, noise during break, the same familiar faces. I met Kaito and talked as usual, but my eyes were searching for one person only.
Kenji.
I finally found him in the courtyard.
I walked up to him and pulled him aside, away from the others.
I said quietly,
"I saw you yesterday… with Sakura."
Kenji smirked—the same smile I had always hated.
"Oh… you mean the girl you walk with for a few minutes and then think she belongs to you?"
Something tightened in my chest.
"You didn't even know her until I told you about her."
He stepped closer, his voice colder.
"That's your fault. You're good at talking about her… but terrible at making her choose you."
I lifted my head, meeting his eyes.
"What do you mean?"
He let out a short laugh, then said flatly,
"Guys like you always stay in the background, Hiro. Just watching."
I didn't think.
My fist struck his stomach faster than lightning.
He groaned, but quickly retaliated.
Voices rose around us. Shouts. Rushing footsteps. I saw Sakura and her friends approaching, worry on their faces.
"Stop! What's going on?!"
But it was already over.
We were called in.
The decision was clear: punishment and a three-day suspension.
I didn't look at him as I left.
And he didn't look at me either.
I returned home that evening, heavier than when I had left.
I entered my room, threw my bag aside, and lay on my back again. The same ceiling. The same silence.
"Why did you do that, Kenji…?"
There was no answer.
Suddenly, I got up—as if an invisible thought had pushed me forward—and walked toward the mirror.
I stood in front of it.
I looked at my reflection for a long time.
My body wasn't weak…
But it wasn't what I wanted.
It didn't reflect the discipline and strength I carried inside.
I placed my hand on my chest.
"I got the black belt…"
I paused.
"But this… isn't the end."
I didn't think about Kenji.
I didn't think about Sakura.
I didn't think about anyone.
I was only looking at myself.
"I need a stronger body than this."
A calm decision.
Firm.
Without emotion.
I opened my closet, took out sportswear, a water bottle, and an old gym bag. Packed them neatly. Then I left the house toward the gym.
I wasn't running away from anything.
And I wasn't chasing anyone.
I was simply starting a new path.
---------
By sunset, I returned from the gym.
My body was exhausted, but my mind felt lighter than it had in days.
I entered my room, dropped the bag near the door, and sat on the bed, catching my breath.
At that moment, my phone vibrated.
A new message.
From: Sakura Yamada
"Hello, Takahashi-kun… I got your number from Kaito.
I just wanted to ask… are you okay?"
I stared at the screen for a long time.
I didn't reply right away.
I turned off the phone.....